GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team captured the Gwynedd Mercy Tip Off championship with a 60-49 victory over the host Griffins, a squad that made the 2017 NCAA Tournament a season ago.

The Fords had three scorers in double figures, as Maddie Gallic chipped in a game-high 15 points while Samantha Wetzel tallied her third straight double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds while also adding two blocks. Anna-Sophia Capizzi also added 11 points. Haverford improves to 3-0 on the season, the best mark since the 2013-14 team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. Gwynedd Mercy is now 2-1.

The Fords took a 14-9 lead after the first quarter, behind a hot start from Gallic. Gallic started the game with a pair of layups and a conversion from the free throw line to single-handedly gift the Fords a 5-0 run, leading to a Griffins timeout. With 1:40 left in the stanza, Julianna Clark delivered a three-pointer from the top of the key to hand the Fords a 12-7 lead and Capizzi drained a layup with 26 seconds left.

Gallic continued to wreck havoc on the Griffins defense in the second period, putting in a layup before hitting a trey with 6:43 left. Katie Cook also got in on the action with a three-pointer of her own with 5:57 left in the half, extending the visitors lead to nine at 24-15. Cook added a layup just 16 seconds later as Haverford went up by 11. An 8-0 Gwynedd Mercy run breathed new life into the hosts, but Capizzi hit a three-pointer with 3:07 to play in the half to end the run. The Fords went into the halftime break up by three at 30-27.

Susan Bossler's three-pointer capped a 5-0 Griffins run to begin the third quarter, briefly giving Gwynedd Mercy a 32-30 lead before Macy Goldbach and Wetzel tallied baskets as part of a 6-0 run. Capizzi then found net from downtown yet again, giving Haverford a five-point lead at 39-34 with 2:34 left in the third. In the fourth, Gwynedd Mercy got as close as two at 41-39, but a methodical 13-3 run by Haverford left the Fords with a nine point lead at 54-45 with just 2:36 remaining. 

The Fords had yet another offensive spurt left in them, as Gallic, Furch and Wetzel keyed a 6-1 run that put Haverford up by 14 with under a minute to play, effectively sealing the first true road win of the season.

Cook and Megan Furch each posted career highs in assists, with Cook recording six while Furch added five. Furch also had a career-best three steals on the afternoon.

Following the contest, Gallic and Wetzel were each named to the all-tournament team. In addition, Wetzel was named the tournament's MVP after averaging 13.5 points per game and 14.5 rebounds per game, contributing seven blocks and three assists over the two games on back-to-back days.

Haverford will next be in action as the Fords open up Centennial Conference play on Tuesday, November 21 at Ursinus. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. in Collegeville, Pa.